It's Always the Quiet Ones
by inksorceror
Summary: Alena Reed isn't big on talking. However, her thoughts are more than loud. Will she ever sort herself out?    JAMES/OC
1. Chapter 1

My name is Alena Reed.

I have friends. These friends are completely normal. They really are.

"Al, please tell your friend to stop undressing me with his eyes. It's really very creepy and I may be forced to jump off the train, find my way back home, grab my dad, side-along apparate with him to Hogwarts, and get him to scoop out Malfoy's eyes with spoons if he doesn't stop soon."

"Is it really my fault that your skirt is so short that it doesn't leave much to the imagination, Weasley?"

"Scorpius, please stop talking, you're only making it worse. I would also appreciate it if you didn't have perverted thoughts for my cousin."

"Everybody shut the hell up, I'm trying to sleep!"

An inside look at our completely ordinary, not-strange-at-all compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Welcome to my world.

"Scorpius, Rose is right, you're being incredibly creepy, stop right this instant. Rose, Scorpius is also correct, your skirt is incredibly inappropriate, change it back to its original length. Al, accept the fact that Scorpius has been in love with Rose since third year. Dom, you need to stop cursing and get more sleep at night," I said quietly, barely glancing up from the book I was reading. I knew they would all be gaping at me in awe. I'm amazing, no need to emphasize it. We don't want ickle first years getting jealous now, do we?

"I think that's the first time she's said a word since we got on the train," said Rose, recovering from her initial shock. Finally, I looked at her, only to find that her freckled face was red as a tomato, fresh from her argument with Scorpius. Lovely.

"Honestly, you're all ridiculous. I talk when necessary, like a mature person," I muttered. Dom rolled her astonishing blue eyes and attempted to go back to sleep, for the tenth time. Rose flipped her curly auburn hair and huffed haughtily, so irritated that she completely forgot about the book she had been reading previously. Al and Scor shrugged and returned to their oh so stimulating conversation about Quidditch, a horrible and dangerous game that is a complete waste of time, in my opinion.

For some reason, about 70% of students at Hogwarts do not agree. That's a fact, Rose did a survey on it back in fourth year just to prove me wrong. All of my friends are on the team, except Rose, but she at least likes it. She just can't play at all. Seriously, shittiest player I've ever seen. Sorry, Rosie. I should probably buy her a few pumpkin pasties as an apology. Too bad I would probably eat them first.

...Don't hate, appreciate.

Anyway, back to Rose's witty little comment. See, I don't talk much. I'm known as the "quiet one". Always have been. It may not seem like it when you hear my thoughts, but I honestly am. On the inside, many loud opinions and snarky comments are just waiting to be unleashed, but my lips never seem to want to open to release them. It's like the words are playing tag with my mouth. My mouth just fails at catching the damn words.

You're probably thinking there's some reasoning behind my silence. You know what I think? Go be a bloody therapist for someone else. There is, in fact, a very plausible reason. I just don't care to share it.

"Dom!" All of our eyes darted towards the now open compartment door, only to find a pretty redhead staring back at us with large brown eyes. Lily Potter, Al's baby sister. She smiled at me quickly, then gave an alarmed look at Dom's sleeping form.

"Wake her up, Seb is coming over here to flirt with her again!" Everyone groaned, except me. What? If I don't take my older brother's side, who will? Yes, Sebastian "Seb" Reed is my older brother. Seventh year Gryffindor and resident "hottie" (gross), along with his two best friends James Potter and Fred Weasley. For anyone who doesn't know us, it would be very hard to believe we are siblings. We both have brown hair, but that's about the only thing that we have in common. He loves Quidditch, whereas I despise it. He's loud, outgoing and charming, while I, like I said, am quiet and shy. He has dated probably more than half of the sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts, while I don't date at all. I've had one boyfriend in my whole life, and that was when I was six and was a more talkative child. His name was Alex and we held hands for a whole day. It was great, until he decided to stomp on the elaborate sand castle I had made in the playground. The relationship went downhill from there.

Seb is also rather good-looking.

That may sound disgusting, me being his sister and all, but I have eyes. My eyes see things. Did you know that's what eyes are used for? I did.

He is rather built, being a Beater and all, and has forest green eyes. His hair is chestnut brown and is very messy and tousled (also known as "sex hair" to the many slags that attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry). My hair is the same shade as his and has loose waves/curls and my eyes are dark brown and "mysterious", according to Rose. She enjoys trying to convince me that I'm attractive, but I tend to disagree.

You may be wondering why in the world everyone is currently groaning at the thought of my brother approaching our compartment. There is a simple answer to that. My older brother is an insane flirt, especially where Dom is involved. Being part Veela and all, Dom is effortlessly gorgeous, with her sapphire blue eyes and straight, strawberry blond hair. Effortlessly in the most literal way possible, as she is the biggest tomboy I know. I swear, Rosie is going to end up attacking her with makeup and hair products one day. As a result, our dear Dom Weasley would probably commit suicide, leaving Rose to wallow in her guilt. She would eventually turn herself into Azkaban because of said guilt and I would be left alone to face the trauma of losing my two best friends. A sad and highly probable story. So yeah, Seb enjoys flirting with Dom while Dom...well, let's just say she doesn't.

"Fucking prat, shows up at the most inconvenient times. Whenever I try to get some peace and quiet, people intrude," Dom grumbled irritably.

Enter: Sebastian Reed.

"Dominique, love, how are you and your supermegafoxyawesomehot legs doing this fine morning?" my brother asked flirtatiously, peering in through the still open compartment door. Dom growled. See, the thing is, she does not allow anyone to call her Dominiq - er, I mean, her full name (I'm too scared to even say it in my head). Ever.

"IT'S DOM, YOU BLOODY GIT, I THOUGHT I MADE IT VERY CLEAR NOT TO CALL ME BY MY DESPICABLE FIRST NAME! LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! NEVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN! ME AND MY LEGS WILL ALWAYS STAY FAR, FAR AWAY FROM YOU!" What a great, heart-warming friend I have. Really, why would I ever need to talk when I have such kind and gracious friends as these to speak for me?

After that incredibly inspiring speech, Dom promptly chucked her shoe at Seb's head. How elegant. I think I may have to share a few violent words with my dear brother. How dare he flirt so openly with one of my best friends? Disgusting. Get ready to hear some more yelling, Sebastian. From me.

"Seb? Maybe you should stop flirting with her?" I said softly, raising the end of the sentence like a question. Yeah, I went pretty beast there, didn't I? I'll bet everyone's shaking right about now.

"Wow. You went pretty beast there, didn't you Reed?" I looked up at the compartment door (someone should really close that damn thing) once again, finding a pair of brown eyes peering back at me. Fred Weasley (II). One of my brother's best friends, a notoriously loud prankster and Beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He and I don't exactly have much of a relationship. You could say that we're a little more than acquaintances, but a little less than friends. Not going to lie, he's damn attractive as well. With his caramel eyes and vibrant red hair, my brother's best friend has looks worthy of praise. It probably helps that he's also hilarious and incredibly nice.

Fred grinned at me and I returned it with a small smile of my own, quirking my eyebrows slightly at his sarcasm and apparent mind-reading skills, as I had just thought what he had said outloud. You know, the beast thing. Seb just rolled his eyes at me.

"I'm entitled to flirt with whoever I want, little sis. Not that I'm saying you can, because I would probably punch that git in the face." I flushed slightly, knowing that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Me flirting, I mean. I don't think I even know how to do it, so my brother's protectiveness is honestly just a waste of his energy.

"Do you know your sister at all, Seb?" A new voice had joined in. I didn't even have to look up for this one. I knew I would see a head of untidy dark brown hair and twinkling honey eyes, paired with a sprinkling of trademark Weasley of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a Chaser. Prefect. Popular with the ladies. Handsome. Smart. Funny. So, right about now, I sound like a huge James Sirius Potter fan girl. I'm not. Seriously! Stop questioning my honesty! I'm just stating the facts about him. Those are all very true statements.

In fact, I don't even like him very much. He's a huge rule-breaker (Merlin knows how he became a prefect), rowdy, a player, and cocky and arrogant because of his father's fame. Oh yeah, and when I was a little first year and got put into Gryffindor by the Sorting Hat, that little bastard BOOED me (I have no idea why, to this day). Then he attempted to throw a treacle tart at my head. Luckily, I dodged it and made my way to the Gryffindor table, stumbling and blushing all the way. Unfortunately, that was how Seb and Potter became friends. Seb went to tell him off for being a prat, but they somehow ended up becoming best friends. Of course, Fred was a package deal with Potter, being his cousin and all, so it was a buy one, get one free kind of thing. Except Potter wasn't really bought, was he? That makes him sound like a prostitute. Good! That's what he deserves.

Now, I'm certain that Potter has forgotten that embarrassing little incident, but I sure haven't. Which is why I unleash my fury on him every time he talks to me or comes close to me.

"Er, I have to go...to um...the prefect meeting. Yeah. It should be starting soon, so um...bye." Yes, that is my incredible talent at being fierce as humanly possible.

...Don't judge me.

"Well, I for one, think that you three should leave," said Al, gesturing towards Seb, Fred, and Potter. He gets a bit upset with his brother sometimes, probably because he's so bloody annoying. Maybe also because of the fact that Potter wasn't very accepting of Al being sorted into Slytherin. It didn't help that he became best friends with Scorpius Malfoy as well. Al apparently still holds a grudge over the fact that his older brother didn't support him in his time of need, even though James eventually accepted Al's "Slytherinness". Obviously, the first day of Potter's second year at Hogwarts was not a good one as he managed to piss both Al and I off in one sitting.

"Shut up Al, quit being a prat. I'll come with you, Reed. I should get to that meeting or Roxy might hex me in a place where the sun most definitely does not shine." Oh, Potter. Potter, Potter, Potter. Why do you not understand? I don't want to be around you. Not now, not ever. Now, I understand that Roxanne Weasley, the Head Girl this year, may not appreciate late prefects, but that does not mean that you must come to the meeting at the exact same time as me, does it?

I threw Rose a pleading look, hoping she would save me from the wrath of one James Potter. Of course, Rose being the excellent friend she is, completely rejected my evident pleas and waved us off with a big smirk gracing her lips.

Like I said, what wonderful friends I have acquired.

Now I have to go to the prefect meeting. With Potter. Great.


	2. Chapter 2

"So...How was your summer?" asked James. As if this wasn't already awkward enough.

"Um. Fine," I said softly, "How was yours?" I am an embarrassment to life. No joke. Yeah, back off bitches, there's a new sheriff in town. The sheriff of...um...awkwardness? Yes. That's it.

Sometimes I wonder how I became so amazingly cool.

"Pretty good, but I think you knew that already, considering the fact that I was at your house for half of it."

"Oh. Right." What a git. He was the one who asked me how my summer was first, and when I ask him, he makes me look all stupid. Well you know what, Potter? I think you should've known how my summer was, considering the fact that you were at my house for half of it. HA. I bet you feel stupid now, don't you? Damn right.

We continued down the train to the prefects compartment which, fortunately, was not very far. Potter slid open the door and waved me forward, allowing me to enter the compartment first. How sweet (but not really).

All of the prefects had arrived before us, which meant that we were a bit late. Oops?

Roxanne Weasley, this year's Head Girl and Fred's twin sister, attempted to look stern but ruined the effect by let a slight smile grace her lips. Somehow, George Weasley had spawned a child that was actually kind of serious. Well, as serious as any child of his could be. Roxanne was studious, but not incredibly so. I knew for a fact that a few of the pranks pulled over the years were her ideas. Although Fred was much more loud and boisterous, Roxy was only a few steps behind. The only difference was that Roxy was much more subtle about it, so none of the professors really suspected a thing. As far as they were concerned, Roxanne Weasley was an angel sent from heaven. With her looks, she might as well be. With her long black locks, blue eyes and lightly tanned skin, Roxy had always gotten a fair amount of attention from boys. Not that Fred let her do anything about it. Weasley boys were very protective.

My prefect partner was Brian McLaggen, prat extradonaire. Yes, this not-so-fine young man was truly an insult to humanity. He was Rose's boyfriend in second year (her very first boyfriend, in fact) but he broke up with her because she was "too clingy". So what if she tried to follow him into the bathroom a few times? She was obviously enamored by his...er...well, I can't think of anything at this exact moment. Don't worry, it'll come to me. Wait for it.

...

Alright, fine, I got nothing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, okay? Plus, McLaggen smells like cheese. Not the good kind, either.

Roxanne and the Head Boy, Jacob Clevely, talked about our rounds and shit like that. I didn't bother to pay attention, they were going to give out sheets that told us when and where our rounds were anyway, so what was the point? You thought I was a good girl, didn't you? Well, you thought wrong. I'm a rebel, bitches. Like a tiger. Watch out, or I'll pounce. ROAR!

"Alena? Are you okay? You look kind of constipated," said Roxanne, looking rather worried, "Maybe you should go back to your compartment and rest a bit. This meeting is over, you are all free to go back to your compartments or stay here." I blushed deeply and gave a quick nod in reply, embarrassed about the strange faces I had unknowingly been making to go with my tiger noises. Perhaps I should stop talking to myself in my head?

Nah.

Quickly, I stumbled out of the compartment, my face still hot and red as a tomato. That's embarrassing. Maybe I'll get fat too, with all the eating I do, and I'll turn into a real tomato. Wouldn't that be great fun? Everyone could just roll me around, all over Hogwarts. Maybe someone would roll me all the way into the Black Lake and I would just float in there, like some sort of giant red balloon.

I think you're jealous that my hopes and dreams are cooler than yours. Be jealous.

"Are you sure you're alright? You look really red. Is your temperature burning up? Do you feel like you're going to blow up?" There comes Potter's voice once again, following me around creepily. With his illogical assumptions. Seriously? Blow up? Who comes up with something like that?

"Um. I - I'm sure. I just...it's kind of...hot?"

"Yes, you are," he mumbled, studying me carefully. What? What did he just say? What is he doing? Is he - dare I say it - checking me out? Oh. Wow. That is. Awkward. Slightly.

I coughed lightly, shifting my weight and blushing even more.

"Uh, I mean...Let's go back to the compartment," he said, now blushing a bit himself. I just made James Potter blush by saying absolutely nothing. Well actually, I do a lot of things by saying absolutely nothing. My brain thinks, but my mouth doesn't speak. That's how I roll. Like a ball. Balls roll. I had this really nice yellow ball with red polka dots when I was 8, it was great fun to play with. Until Seb decided to see what would happen if he inserted a needle into it.

Wait, did he just say THE compartment? Since when are him and his douchebag friends sitting with us (no offense, Seb)? I was hoping they might've left by now.

Shitsicles.

***

"ALENA!" I jerked awake and rubbed my eyes tiredly. Ugh. Go away. Rose, Rose, go away, come again another day. I had finally fallen asleep after listening and watching my brother and his stupid friends take over our once peaceful compartment. Okay, so it wasn't exactly peaceful, but close enough, right?

"Wha? Wha happen?" groaned Dom, attempting to push Rose away from her makeshift bed. It consisted of various articles of clothing (don't you dare think dirty) and a few Chocolate Frog wrappers. Lovely.

"We're getting off the train, you idiots! Let's go!" yelled Rose, her exasperation evident in her voice. Dom responded by mumbling various curses and slowly rolling off her seat. I stood and stretched slowly, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I love sleep.

The three of us were the only ones left in the compartment, and, according to Rose's incessant screeching, the only ones left in the whole train.

"Right. Let's go," I whispered, my voice horribly croaky from my nap. Dom had finally managed to stand up and gather her possessions. We walked out of the scarlet train tiredly and approached the nearest carriage, which happened to contain my brother and his pets (and by pets, I mean friends). Neither Dom or I greeted them, obviously frustrated by 1) our interruption of sleep and 2) being seated with annoying..._things_.

As we approached the castle, my eyes sparkled slightly with tears. I hadn't realized how much I had missed this place. My school. My home. No matter how upset I was, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry truly had a magical effect, one which could not be achieved with a wand.

***

The Sorting ceremony was insignificant, and the feast was delicious as always. By the end of it all, I was dead tired. I think I went a bit loopy at one point, chattering to myself about a hippogriff's typical diet.

Bollocks, I have gone loopy.

Rose, Dom and I shared a dormitory, along with two other girls, Valerie and Anna. Valerie was a nice girl, but kept mostly to herself and was incredibly shy. She was a lot like me in that respect, but I highly doubted that she was secretly mental. Anna was...well...not so nice. Actually, Dom called her Queen Bitch, which pretty much summed up her personality. When we were younger, she bullied me quite a bit. She would push me around, hex me in the corridors, make my potions go awry. Me being the wimp that I am never did anything, but Rose and Dom kicked her ass for me. Needless to say, she never attempted to bully me again. Of course, occasional snide comments escape her mouth sometimes, but we let her off with warnings. By we, I mean Rose and Dom. Just in case you mistook me for a brave person. Honestly, I have no idea how the hell I ended up in Gryffindor. I'll have to have a chat with that senile Sorting Hat someday.

I collapsed on to my bed and drew the curtains, sighing in relief at the warmth and softness of my bed. Utter bliss.

***

"WAKE UP! EVERYBODY WAKE UP!"

"Shut the fuck up Weasley, I have a free period," grumbled Anna, chucking a hairbrush at Rose. She wasn't acting half as bitchy as she normally did. Holy shit sticks, I must be tired! I just talked about Anna positively!

Why is Rose always the one to disturb everyone's sleep? She's going to gain a lot of enemies. Trust me, I am not a good enemy to have.

Alright, I'm bluffing, I'm probably the best enemy to have because I wouldn't do anything, but you know what? Wait, what? I don't even know what. What am I saying? What?

After we got Rose to calm down a bit, we got dressed and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, something I really needed at the moment.

"Good morning," greeted Fred, chewing on blueberry pancakes. I love blueberry pancakes. Give. Me. The. Pancakes. Fred must have noticed me glaring at the pancakes, because he dropped those suckers on my plate immediately. Sorry for scaring you, Freddie boy. I just need me some pancakes.

"What classes do you three have?" asked Potter, watching Seb fall asleep on his toast.

"We all have History of Magic together right after breakfast," replied Dom, munching on some scrambled eggs. Gross. Eggs are chicken period, did you know that? Ugh.

"Actually, we have History of Magic in about 5 minutes. Let's get going," said Rose, pulling Dom away from her breakfast.

"RO-OSE! I'm hungry!" Poor Dom. I stood up and followed them out of the Great Hall. Potter waved at me. I pretended not to notice.

Atleast I could get a nice nap out of this class. I always attempted to pay attention at the beginning, but I always ended up getting too bored and falling asleep. In fact, I think Rose is the only who's ever actually paid attention to what dreary old Binns says. She should probably get a prize. I'm pretty sure the only other person who has ever managed to stay awake is Rose's mother, Hermione Weasley.

Binns was just blabbing on and on about useless things that nobody really cares about. Honestly, who gives two shits about Randolph the Raunchy and his sexual escapades?

...Wait, what?

***

By the end of our last class, I was ready to shoot myself. Honestly, we just had our O.W.L.s last year, cut us come slack.

I was walking down the corridor with Rose from Potions (Dom dropped it, said Professor Slughorn was barmy) when I heard someone shouting Rose's name.

"ROSE! ROSE!" It was, of course, Scorpius, ready to begin his duties as Rose's very own personal stalker. I swear, that boy is bipolar. One minute he's in love with Rose, following her around like a lost puppy, and the next he's participating in a screaming match with her. It drives all of us insane. Especially Al, since he has to listen to that wanker admiring (or insulting) his cousin every 5 minutes.

"Scorpius, come back! Come on mate, we talked about this!" Al yelled, breathing heavily. Apparently, he had to run after Scorpius to stop him from finding Rose. That's kind of scary.

"Rose, go out with me! Please?" gasped Scorpius.

"I don't know Scorpius. Um...Alena's er...uncle...he died," lied Rose, "Yeah. He died and I have to be there for Alena in her time of need. Sorry." ROOSSIIEEE. Why do you get me into these situations? Now I have to lie to the poor boy.

"Oh. I didn't know. Maybe another time then, Rose. I'm sorry Alena." Rose grinned at me and gave the thumbs up, signaling to go along with it. I gave him a nervous smile and nodded, partly because I was scared the truth would come out if I opened my mouth (I was never a good liar), and partly because I was pretty sure there was something stuck in my teeth.

"Besides, now you have time to fix your hair, Weasley." See what I mean? This guy is bipolar.

Rose scowled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she screeched, "Are you making fun of my hair? I'll have you know, I use the best hair tamer out there, Sleekeazy's Hair Potion!"

Scorpius snorted and retorted with something to insult her further. Al and I exchanged glances. He tilted his head towards the Great Hall and I nodded. Dinner time!

***

After an extremely filling dinner, we started toward the Common Room. Dom was chattering about some guy who had winked at her in Divination whilst Rose questioned whether her brain was addled due to the fact that she even took Divination. I rubbed my stomach contentedly and burped rather loudly. Someone nearby cleared their throat.

"Oh, hey James!" greeted Rose. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Why do I burp so loud? Why does Merlin hate me?

The prat smirked at me and said hello back. All four of us entered the Common Room through the portrait hole with the rather interesting password, "Vomitus tortulas", which translated to "vomit biscuits". Are they running out of passwords or something? Rose and Dom shared a look as we entered and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitories without a backwards glance. What the bloody hell?

Potter and I stood there awkwardly. I stared at the floor as if it had suddenly become very interesting. La la la. La. La. I'm a great singer, aren't I? I think I'll release an album soon. It'll be bigger than Celestina Warbeck's album "You Stole My Cauldron but You Can't Have My Heart". Although, admittedly, that particular album of hers wasn't very popular. In fact, I'm pretty sure Rose's Grandma Weasley is the only one who even bought it. Pfffttt, whatever. I'm still pro.

Merlin, I am _bored. _I wonder if we could get some belly dancers to come to Hogwarts for entertainment. They could perform in between classes. It would be great!

"I have to go to bed, I've scheduled a Quidditch practice for tomorrow at 6 so...Yeah. Bye," said Potter, finally deciding to speak. Well, good riddance!

"Um. Yes. Alright. Er...bye then," I replied softly, still not looking up. He was still standing there, I could see his shoes on the ground. Not moving. Ugh, leave already!

After about 5 more minutes of debating with myself in my head, I looked up slowly, only to see Potter staring at me. That's not creepy at all. I coughed awkwardly and began to rock back and forth on my feet. Slowly, my hands moved up to my mouth and my nails disappeared between my teeth. Yes, I bite my nails when I'm nervous. Yes, it's disgusting. Yes, you should fuck off.

Potter continued to stare at me.

"James? Don't you er...have to go now?" I whispered frightfully. Okay, I'm a bit scared because of his creepy staring. Shh.

"Why do you do that?" he asked. Huh?

"Huh?"

"You know. Talk so quietly. Hesitate between words."

"Uh..." What is he saying? How am I supposed to answer that? That's way too personal, buddy boy.

He gazed at me intensely for a few more minutes and then took a few steps towards me. Oh dear.

"I...Never mind. Good night then, Reed." He turned abruptly and jogged up the stairs to his dormitory.

What just happened? 


	3. Chapter 3

"W - why would you two do that?" I questioned Rose and Dom. "I mean...why?" Rose bit her lip and glanced up at Dom, who was avoiding all eye contact. Bloody bint. We sat in silence as I stared at them confusedly, wondering why the fuck they had left me alone with Potter. Dom sighed in frustration and glared at me, apparently deciding to answer my question

"Look Alena, we just think that you need to talk to people. You know, make other friends. Step out of your comfort zone a bit. I understand that you've been scarred by...what happened, but that was 6 years ago. You need to build a bridge and get over it. You're too quiet and it's getting ridiculous." She took a deep breath and continued. "You can't...you can't just be anti-social for the rest of your life just because he's never coming back, alright?" I forced my face to remain blank and managed to pull a strained smile across my lips.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm just as happy and enthusiastic and loud as I was in first year, before particular incidents took place. Ha, you guys just worry WAY too much. Just chill, okay? It's all good." Rose and Dom exchanged bewildered glances. What? Did I say something wrong?

"Alena, stop. You're just acting all outgoing now because we're calling you out on your silence. We just want to help you, and the first step is admitting that you need help. We probably should have tried to help years ago, but we thought you might just sort yourself out. However, that's obviously not going to happen, since you're as quiet as you were when you...er...found out about what happened," said Rose, avoiding my gaze. I really don't see what the problem is here. Really. Nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine. Perfectly normal. I mean, I talk to myself in my head sometimes, but no one knows that...Or do they?

Dom waved a small, pale hand in front of my face, attempting to get my attention.

"Huh - What?" I mumbled. "What was the question?" Dom rolled her eyes and threw herself on to her bed.

"Alena. Honestly, what is going on with you? We're trying to help, and you're not even listening?" exclaimed Rose, gaping at me. She looked kind of like a fish. You know, they're always opening and closing their mouths like they're talking or something. They probably are talking, in a secret language. Ooh, tricky!

I attempted to open and close my mouth like a fish to see if Rose would understand the secret message I was trying to convey, but I don't think it really worked.

"ALENA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she yelled.

"Uh, you know. Listening."

"No. You're really not. We can talk about this in the morning, perhaps when you _aren't _acting like you're high."

Rose huffed loudly, walked to her bed, and drew the curtains.

I sighed quietly. Can't please everyone.

***

The next morning was extremely awkward. Why do I always get myself into these awkward situations? Dom and Rose seemed to be giving me the silent treatment, Valerie had already gone down to breakfast, and Anna was being bitchy, as per usual. Atleast that would always be a constant in my life.

Unfortunately, a lot of my classes were with my two "best friends", so I was tempted to skip. In fact, I even tried to sneak out during Transfiguration (we were transfiguring pencils into centipedes and when is that ever going to come in handy in life?) but Anna spotted me and would have snitched on me if I hadn't lied and said that my centipede had crawled away and I was searching for it. Professor McGonagall probably would have shot me with her scary laser eyes if she found out I was ditching. Yes, I do believe that she has laser eyes. I am absolutely correct.

The day dragged on slowly and by the time we were to have dinner, I was quite ready to drop dead from loneliness. Right on the cold, stone floor. It doesn't look so bad, really. I mean, it's gray. Gray's a cheery colour, right? Yeah, okay, whatever.

I sat alone. I didn't really have any other choice. Rose and Dom refused to talk to me and sitting with Seb and his..."peeps" as he likes to call them, would just be an overall vulgar experience. Al and Scorpius were an option, but that would mean sitting at the Slytherin table and facing the sneers of some of the nastier Slytherins. Plus, I really didn't want to deal with Scorpius blabbering on and on about Rose, especially since we weren't on speaking terms.

I went to bed without doing my homework at 9, which is incredibly sad. I mean, who sleeps at 9?

Oh, right. People like me who have no friends. Great.

***

There were tears in my eyes when I woke up. Merlin, I am an loser. A sensitive loser.

I decided that me + sitting alone again = not going to happen. Yeah, I was quiet, but that didn't mean I was a loner. Even though I didn't always participate in conversations with my them, I still liked actually having friends.

As I arrived in the Great Hall, I noticed Valerie sitting alone so I gave myself a quick pep talk before proceeding to sit with her.

Come on, Alena. You. Can. DO IT. Just march over there and be like, "Bitch, let me sit beside you, or I'll beat yo' ass!"

...Or not. You know what? You can do this. Valerie's a nice girl, and she's really quiet, just like you. This will work.

Rose and Dom want me to have more friends? I'll give them more friends!

"Um, hi Valerie. I was wondering...canIsitwithyou?" Merlin, it sounds like my mouth is having spasms or something, that's how fast I just talked.

Valerie looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and nodded hesitantly. I smiled at her softly and sat down.

"So. Uh. How are you?" I asked, desperately trying not to make this more embarrassing than it already was.

"Fine I suppose...Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Why are you sitting with me?" she asked quietly. My mouth parted slightly as I pondered whether or not I should tell her the truth.

"Well. Uh, you see...Rose and Dom aren't really talking to me right now." Valerie nodded slightly and smiled.

"Yeah, I thought so. I don't mind though. I mean, I don't really have anyone else to sit with," she said, sighing sadly. Oh. Poor girl. She can be my friend! I'm a good friend, right? Right.

"Um, well. Y - you can sit with me from now on," I stuttered. Okay, so I'm kind of terrible at making friends. Shh.

She grinned at me and nodded in agreement. That was easier than I thought! Yay, I made a new friend! Who's still pro? ME!

***

I discovered that not only was Valerie gorgeous and nice, she was also pretty funny.

"So then I told him that if he didn't give me the crackers right that instant, I would shove them right up his arse!" See what I mean? I guess she's loud with her friends. Because I'm her friend now. We're FRIENDS. Yeah. BFFs. Best friends for life. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Did I mention we're friends?

I don't know why she didn't have any friends. She's pretty great.

We were in the dormitory, along with Rose and Dom. They were muttering quietly and occasionally glancing up at us. After about 10 minutes of this, Rose stood up and walked towards us.

"Alena? Can I talk to you?" she asked. OH, so now she's coming running back to me? Hell to the no.

"Er...sure." She lead me to her bed and smiled nervously.

"Dom and I are really glad that you made friends with Valerie. See, that's why we weren't speaking to you. So that you would make more friends. We're really sorry, but we were doing it for your own good...You understand, don't you?" Well. Why didn't they mention that before?

"That's alright. I...I'm also really glad that I made friends with Valerie."

Rose smiled happily and I knew we were all good. Dom and I were also fine, I knew, but Dom wasn't really one to talk about her feelings.

Anyway, I made a new friend, which totally just proves that I am AMAZING. Only second to Merlin, obviously.

***

"Oi! Malfoy! Alena needs her notes back," Rose said, turning around in her seat during Charms. We had it with the Slytherins, and Scorpius and Al were sitting behind us. Valerie was sitting at the table next to ours, but the seat next to hers was empty, as Dom had decided to skip. Professor Flitwick was attempting to teach us the Aguamenti charm, but no one was really listening to him. Poor guy. He's just so tiny, I feel bad for him, you know? No, wait! That's not what I meant! I mean no offense to short people! I love short people. Not that they deserve special treatment or anything. I mean, not that they don't! Everyone should be treated differently. Oh bollocks, I mean equally! I mean - oh, screw it.

"Alright everyone," Flitwick squeaked, "Pick up your wands and -"

"I WAS SIMPLY ASKING YOU FOR THE NOTES! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST HAND THEM OVER WITHOUT ARGUING?" Oh boy, looks like Rose and Scorpius are at it once again.

"I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU, WEASLEY! I'LL GIVE THE NOTES BACK WHEN I'M GOOD AND READY! THEY'RE NOT YOURS ANYWAY!" I glanced at Al, only to find that he was calmly copying down the notes in question. Sneaky bastard. Valerie was staring at Rose and Scorpius in shock, so clearly, she wasn't going to be much help either.

Well, it looked like it was up to me to solve this one. Merlin, save me.

"Um, guys? You're sort of, uh, disrupting the class a bit, so maybe you should...Stop?" I requested meekly. They should just elect me Minister right now. Obviously, my argument resolving skills are greatly evolved beyond most wizards. I would probably be an amazing leader. People would just fall at my feet and I would just sit on my big Minister throne (wait, do they have thrones?) and cackle evilly.

Why am I getting mental images of Hitler?

"ALENA, TELL HIM YOU WANT YOUR NOTES BACK!" Rose screamed.

"ALENA, TELL HER THAT YOU LET ME BORROW YOUR NOTES UNTIL I FINISH COPYING THEM!" Scorpius yelled back.

"Er, Rose, it's true, I did let him borrow my notes. He can keep them until he's done copying them, but you can take them back for me when he's done," I replied hesitantly, not wanting to upset either of them.

"Fine," agreed Rose angrily. Scorpius grinned at me in triumph.

Honestly, I think Rose just started that pointless argument because she's secretly in love with Scorpius. You can practically feel the sexual tension.

If Dom hadn't decided to skip out so she could go snog some Hufflepuff loser, I wouldn't have had to deal with this rubbish.

Merlin, what a slag of a friend I have.

***

"Alena, Rose! How you doin'?"

"Dom, why did you skip AGAIN?" exclaimed Rose, placing her hands on her hip.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't need an education, I'm going to be a professional Quidditch player," replied Dom, grinning proudly. "Plus, that Hufflepuff looked like he needed a good snog, so I obliged. Quite happily, I might add. He was a good snog."

Dom, you skank.

JUST KIDDING, love you Dommy.

"Come on Dominique, I'm probably a better snog than any Hufflepuff could ever be." What? Random voice? Is it in my head or real life? Hm, hard to determine.

Oh, wait, never mind. It's Seb. Amazing how I can't even recognize my own brother's voice.

Dom's fists automatically clenched and she began to grind her teeth in a rather frightening manner. Ooh, SCARY.

"I'm free anytime. I don't mind skipping for you, love," said my dear brother, winking cockily at Dom.

"Alena. Please tell your sibling to back the fuck off or I might explode and rip his head off," threatened Dom venomously. She did, in fact, look ready to explode. Her usually calm blue eyes were flashing dangerously and her strawberry blonde hair was practically crackling. The Veela blood in her enabled her to still look beautiful, of course.

"Uh, Seb, let's go to the Great Hall," I said, beginning to bite my nails nervously. He looked a bit frightened and awed at the same time. I cleared my throat quietly, which evidently brought him out of his trance. He nodded slowly, but, of course, couldn't leave without having the last word.

"I like my women feisty!" he exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the Hall.

"Seb, I'm not actually sitting with you! I only said that to get you out of there!" I whispered frantically as he led me towards his friends.

"Come on Alena, I've barely been able to talk to you since we got here. Please sit with us?" he begged. I was about to shake my head no, but then he pulled that stupid puppy dog eyes trick. He had always been able to pull it off, which frustrated me to no end. I was always forced to do what he wanted when he whipped out his big green eyes.

"Fine, I'll sit with you," I mumbled. "But don't think this means you win." He smirked and mouthed "I win" to himself. You're cool, Seb. You're cool.

I sat beside my brother and greeted Fred and Potter (rather unwillingly, I might add). I glanced over at the dinner that the house elves had prepared. House elves sort of freaked me out, but they made damn good food. That's what really matters in the end, after all.

Instead of speaking, I concentrated on my food. I was _not _good at talking to boys, especially annoying ones. The only reason I befriended Al was because he was Rose and Dom's cousin, and since Scorpius and him were best friends, I also became friends with him.

"So, Alena, are you ready to see our prank in action?" whispered Fred urgently.

"Er, what prank?" I questioned confusedly, frustrated at being interrupted from my eating. Do people not understand the greatness of food? What is this?

"The one we were just talking about," Seb replied, rolling his eyes. Well, no need to get huffy with me. People these days. Maybe I just don't care enough to listen about their stupid pranks. People of higher importance like me don't have time for such petty things.

"We bought some exploding bonbons and charmed them to explode as soon as a Slytherin places one on his/her plate. Oh, and we made the explosions a bit stronger than they usually would be," explained Potter, smirking mischievously. See? He's evil, obviously. Spawn of the devil. No offense to Mr. or Mrs. Potter. Wait, girls can't be devils, can they? Can they? No idea.

See, exploding bonbons are meant to cause a small explosion in your mouth, not explode on your plate, and potentially, explode on your face.

"Oh. Um, nice?" I provide such intelligent and insightful replies.

"You just don't appreciate the beauty of a prank," said Seb, sticking out his tongue at me. Real mature.

"They...they won't get hurt though, will they?" I asked fearfully. All three of them snorted in disbelief.

"Who cares? It's going to be hilarious!" My brother is truly heartless.

"Just for your reassurance, no, it won't hurt them. It's a very minor explosion. The worst that can happen is that hair may get burned slightly at the tips. No big deal. It'll just be hilarious seeing the looks on their faces when their dessert explodes," said Fred, attempting to reassure me.

It didn't work. I expected atleast Potter to feel bad. I mean, that was his brother he was about to prank. Inconsiderate idiot.

"Everyone shut up, the food is disappearing, it's time for dessert," exclaimed Seb excitedly. This is so wrong. I wish I could stop it but I can't draw attention to myself by trying to stop the prank. When people look at me, I stutter and blush. Well, more than I usually do, atleast.

Maybe if I secretly throw a treacle tart at Potter's head, it will provide a distraction? Not that it would be for revenge or anything...

I jumped slightly as the unquestionably loud sound of several Slytherin's bonbons exploding right on their plates sounded throughout the hall. Every house table roared with laughter at the shocked expressions on the Slytherin's faces.

Okay, I'll admit, it was a bit funny because they looked as if they were about to shit their pants from fright. I restrained myself from laughing, however, and stared down at my plate.

I spotted Al sitting towards the end of the table with Scorpius. He looked quite upset and a bit furious. Scorpius was still gaping at his bonbon in shock.

Suddenly, Al stood up and ran out of the hall. Poor kid. Glancing quickly at Seb and his moronic friends practically rolling on the floor laughing, I rushed out of the hall after Al.

***

"Al? Are you in there?" I asked softly, waiting outside of the Slytherin boys' dormitory. The password to the Common Room had remained the same since the last time Rose had asked Al for it.

"...Alena?" he whispered, cracking the door open slightly. He looked weary and kind of dirty from the explosion, with his glasses sort of askew.

"Uh, yeah, it's...it's me." Al opened the door wider to let me in. Slowly, he settled on his bed and gestured for me to sit on it as well.

"I'm fine, Alena. You don't have to check up on me, you know." Yes I do, Al. Because of our brother/sister-like relationship, I am obligated to check up on you whenever you feel hurt/angry/upset. It's in the contract.

"Al, you...you're like a brother to me, and I love you, so of course I have to check up on you. I know you feel upset because James targets your house, but...it's not you he doesn't like, it's the Slytherins in general. Just house rivalry, okay?" I said softly. Al smiled.

"Thanks, Alena. With all the pranks and everything, it sometimes feels like he _doesn't_ love me. I know the pranks are just for "fun", but I'm just tired of James pranking on the Slytherins all the time. We never did anything, he's just discriminating," Al said. "I really appreciate you reassuring me he loves me though, especially since you hate him and everything." What the hell? How does he know I hate his brother? I thought I hid it pretty well. I'm great at keeping secrets. Just saying.

Al smirked at my puzzled expression. What a Slytherin.

"Yeah, I noticed you hate him. You never seem to want to be around him and you ignore him when you can. It makes me really happy sometimes." You're evil too, Al. When someone hates your brother, it makes you happy? Obviously, villainy runs in the family. Well, Lily is definitely not evil. She's probably the sweetest girl I've ever met. Mrs. Potter probably got raped by Voldemort..._twice_. Because she would never, ever have sexual interactions with that noseless freak willingly.

Except Al looks like an exact copy of Mr. Potter, and James looks quite a bit like him as well. Meh, details.

I chuckled and pushed Al casually. He laughed and poked my arm. Then he rested his head on my shoulder and sighed slowly.

"Uh, so, are...are you alright?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Thanks," he replied gratefully. Good old Al.

I stroked his hair until his breaths began to come out slow and steady. Unfortunately, I wasn't strong enough to push a (quite built) Quidditch player to the back of his bed, so I gently rested his head at the end of it and kissed him on the cheek timidly.

Aw, he looks so cute sleeping! Like a teddy bear. Well, he's obviously bigger than an average teddy bear, but he just looks so huggable!

"Good night, Al," I whispered. 


End file.
